Chapter 3

• Chiara
• I gulped hard. Why did it feel like I’d already lost?
• “Pick the darn phone up!” Amelia snapped.
• My hands trembled as I reached for it. The moment I saw the screen, my blood turned cold.
• “What... what is this? Why are your men surrounding my family? Why are they pointing guns at them? Why is Grandfather on the floor—”
• The phone slipped from my shaking hands, but Father caught it.
• “That’s not real. Right?”
• Nobody replied. Father instead handed me a pen. “I’m sure you now understand the severity of the matter.”
• I stared at the pen, then at his blank face, and laughed. The sound came out broken and bitter.
• “So this is how you get rid of me.” I shook my head. “If you didn’t want me, just say it. Don’t force me into marriage. I’ll pack my bags.”
• I turned to leave.
• “You will not take one step from where you stand!” Father commanded, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
• “Right. I’m not supposed to take anything with me anyway.”
• “Chiara, stop! Don’t test me!”
• I spun around in anger, my vision already clouded with tears.
• “What do you want? To break me completely? Why me? Why—”
• I’d walked into this house thinking I was finally free. What a stupid dream. I thought the universe was finally being kind to me, compensating for all my suffering.
• But, of course, I was wrong. I should’ve known happiness was never meant for me.
• “When you told me you were my real parents, I celebrated. I actually celebrated.” My voice cracked. “But I should’ve known better.”
• “Chiara!” Father grabbed my shoulder.
• I jerked away. “Don’t touch me! I should’ve known when you refused to return Amelia to her real parents. When you made me ride in a separate car. When you looked at me like I disgusted you!”
• “Stop playing victim.” Mother stepped closer, hatred gleaming in her eyes. “We didn’t arrange this. It’s your duty to accept.”
• “Duty? I can refuse! It says so right there! So why do you have guns pointed at my family?”
• “You can’t refuse! The Vieri family needs this. They’ve waited long enough.” Mother’s neck bulged as she spoke.
• I wiped my face with my palms. “You planned this from the beginning, didn’t you? The papers were already signed, just waiting for me. But you couldn’t even wait one day. My first day here, and you already want me gone.”
• “Just sign.” Father’s voice was ice.
• I shook my head. The pain in my chest felt like a knife twisting deeper. I wouldn’t sign. I’d rather leave.
• Amelia had lived here her whole life, and suddenly, they remembered a marriage arrangement the day I arrived.
• Bullshit.
• They wanted to trap me with a disabled man while keeping me under their control.
• “No! I’m not a pushover. You want me gone? Fine.” I began walking toward the exit.
• “Where are you going?” Father followed me.
• I sniffled. “I’m leaving. I knew this wouldn’t last anyway.”
• Father scoffed. “Fine. We’ll start with that old man. He looks half-dead already.”
• I froze.
• They wouldn’t actually hurt them. This was just a threat. Right?
• “Wait, you really want me to sign?”
• “Take the old man out.” Father was already speaking on his phone. “We need something to get her head straight.”
• “No! No! Please!” I ran to him and grabbed the phone. “Don’t kill—”
• A gunshot exploded through the speaker.
• Something inside me shattered. My stomach dropped, and my knees buckled.
• “You... you didn’t just...”
• I looked at the phone on the table and ran to it. Through my tears, I saw Grandfather writhing on the ground, clutching his leg. Blood. So much blood. A guard yanked his hair back and pressed a gun to his head.
• No. This wasn’t real. Please, God, let this not be real. I collapsed, hands covering my mouth.
• The tears wouldn’t stop. No one had ever truly cared about me. Not Emilia, not her son, not even my own parents. Every time I’d dared to hope, I’d been left to fend for myself, abandoned and invisible.
• And now, here I was, forced to choose between their lives and my own dignity, trapped in a nightmare I couldn’t escape.
• “Death from the Gallos doesn’t come easy.” Father crouched beside me. “It’s slow. Painful. But look, he’s still breathing. He still has a chance.”
• His voice dropped to a whisper. “Make the right choice. This is your last warning.”
• I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. This was a nightmare. I glanced at Mother and Amelia. They looked... entertained. What kind of people were they? What had I walked into?
• “Time’s up,” Father whispered.
• Another gunshot rang out.
• “No! I’ll sign! I’ll sign it, please! Please don’t hurt them!” I threw myself at his feet.
• He kicked me off harshly. “Your time is up.”
• “It can’t be! I’ll sign, I swear!” I crawled to the table.
• I took a shaky breath and pressed the pen to the paper. My hands trembled violently as every fiber of me screamed to resist. But what choice did I have?
• If I didn’t comply, my family, or what little remained of them, would pay the price. Betrayal, fear, and helplessness clawed at my chest as I forced my hand to write, each stroke feeling like a piece of my soul being stolen.
• I had signed, but a part of me shattered forever. Freedom, happiness… it was never mine to claim.
• Why did I ever believe I could be loved?